Hunters of the Alps

The Hunters of the Alps (Cacciatori delle alpi) were a special corps created by Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1859 to help the regular army to free the northern part of Italy in the Austro-Sardinian War.

As their name suggests, they operated in the Alps. Among their victories in the Austro-Sardininan War were those over the Austrians at Varese and Como.

Their general used them even during the Third Independence War in 1866 against the Austrians, fighting on the Prussian side. On this occasion, the 40,000 volunteers showed their value by achieving the only Italian victory during the conflict (the battle of Bezzecca, 21 July 1866), and by reaching the town of Trento. The revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini was among their number.

Reference

• A History of the Nations and Empires Involved and a Study of the Events Culminating in the Great Conflict, By Logan Marshall, Project Gutenberg Etext – Chapter IX. Garibaldi and Italian Unity